1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for storing information related to a user and allowing for biometric verification of the user's identity.
2. Description of Related Art
In the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the use of portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, and lap top computers. Users of these devices have come to rely on them for many of their daily activities. For example, many people use PDAs to maintain their activity calendars, address books, etc. Many of these same features are now being implemented into cell phones. As users have become more accustomed to the use of these systems, there has been a desire to add more functionality to these systems. One area of interest is in the storage of user financial and medical records. Specifically, currently most people are required to carry various forms of identification and financial information with them in the form of identification cards, insurance cards, credit cards, etc. There is the potential for these various cards to be lost, misplaced, or stolen. Further, users had typically rather have one source for retrieval of their information, as opposed to maintaining the various separate forms of identification and records.
Although centralized information storage has been a desired goal, there have been several issues with regard to security for such information. While users would prefer one source containing all of their personal information, such a system also increases the risk of identity theft by others. As such, there is a need for a system and method that allows for centralized storage of information having mechanisms to maintain data security.
An additional problem with use of electronic systems to maintain personal and financial data concerning a user is verification of the user. Specifically, with more traditional forms of identification, such as driver's licenses and credit cards, physical attributes such as a photo or signature can be used to verify that the holder of the identification card is in fact the owner of the card and the information related thereto. Such verification is much more difficult with an electronic system. In such systems, mechanisms are needed that allow a user to verify to others that the information being presented is their information.
As mentioned, PDAs and cell phones are currently used for storage of calendars, addresses, and phone numbers. There are, however, other potential uses of these systems that have yet to be developed. Specifically, many people wish to contact other people who have similar interests, who have something they want, and/or who may want something they have. For instance, one may wish to locate a person with whom they can share their similar interests or build a relationship. In addition, one may wish to locate a person who has emergency training and can help in an emergency situation or a person who wishes to buy or sell a certain item.
Matching people who are located in the same general area and who have compatible interests is a difficult task because people must physically or audibly convey their interests to others and ask if they share the same interests. This process is made even more difficult when attempting to limit the number of people who receive the information and inquiry to those who are interested in the information. The task of matching compatible people or people who have similar interests has been solved conventionally through systems that utilize wireless devices for exchanging certain personal data between users or computer-based systems that utilize the Internet and personal computers for exchanging personal data stored in computer databases.
For example, wireless devices such as pagers or cordless phones in which a user profile may be stored or that may interface with a stored user profile via various wireless communication means have been designed for exchanging certain personal data between users. The wireless devices, in operation, transmit and receive user profile information to and from the general area surrounding the device via radio or telephone communication in order to find other matching profiles. A comparison of the stored profile and the received profiles may be performed by a processor in the wireless device or at a remote location that is in communication with the wireless device. While these systems provide for wireless communication of a user profile and interests in the area surrounding the user, there are some drawbacks to current wireless device systems. Specifically, the profiles stored or accessed by these wireless devices are specific profiles for the particular users that contain only certain general personal information about the users. In addition, although a user can choose not to enter certain information into his or her profile, all of the information stored in the profile is accessible to other users when it is transmitted to the surrounding area. Thus, the user cannot store other personal information in their personal profile that only the user may access. Another drawback of this type of system is that there is no way to prevent someone who steals or finds the wireless device from using the wireless device representing himself as the owner of the user profile transmitted by the device. Furthermore, there is no way for users to know if the information stored in other users' profiles is true.
Another type of system for exchanging personal information among users is a computer-based system that utilizes the Internet and personal computers for exchanging personal data stored in databases. Typically, these computer-based systems involve the users entering their personal information into a database on a server via personal computers connected to the Internet and web pages. All of the users of the system may search the personal information database(s) to find another user having the characteristics they desire by using particular search criteria. Alternatively, the system may perform a comparison of all of the users' personal information, determine the best matches among the users, and present contact information to the compatible users. These computer-based systems, however, generally do not provide a wireless device that the users may carry with them to transmit their information to other users in the general area such that users may not immediately meet compatible people. In addition, this system, like the wireless device system described above, does not permit a user to store other personal information in the database that only the user may access. The only way for a user to limit what the other users may access is to choose not to enter certain information into his profile. Furthermore, this system also does not provide a way for users to know if the information stored in other users' profiles is true.
One type of system that permits users to store all of their personal information, including financial, medical and other records, also permits users to choose the portions of their personal information that they wish to allow others to access. This system includes handheld wireless devices that may access and/or store the users' personal information, and transmit and receive information to and from others or may initiate a consumer transaction via wireless communication. Furthermore, these systems may include biometric verification capability, such that the user of the handheld device must verify he is the owner of the information in or accessible by the device before using the device for any purpose. These systems, however, do not permit users to include in their stored personal profiles or personal information the profiles of other users that they wish to locate. As such, these systems do not include functionality to compare various user profiles to find matches and signal to the user via the handheld device when a match is found.